About the Book

The world is witnessing a rapid rise in the number of victims of human trafficking and of migrants—voluntary and involuntary, internal and international, authorized and unauthorized. In the first two decades of this century alone, more than 65 million people have been forced to escape home into the unknown. The slow-motion disintegration of failing states with feeble institutions, war and terror, demographic imbalances, unchecked climate change, and cataclysmic environmental disruptions have contributed to the catastrophic migrations that are placing millions of human beings at grave risk.

Humanitarianism and Mass Migration fills a scholarly gap by examining the uncharted contours of mass migration. Exceptionally curated, it contains contributions from Jacqueline Bhabha, Richard Mollica, Irina Bokova, Pedro Noguera, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, James A. Banks, Mary Waters, and many others. The volume’s interdisciplinary and comparative approach showcases new research that reveals how current structures of health, mental health, and education are anachronistic and out of touch with the new cartographies of mass migrations. Envisioning a hopeful and realistic future, this book provides clear and concrete recommendations for what must be done to mine the inherent agency, cultural resources, resilience, and capacity for self-healing that will help forcefully displaced populations.

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About the Author

Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco is the Wasserman Dean and Distinguished Professor of Education at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. His previous edited volumes include Latinos: Remaking America; Writing Immigration: Scholars and Journalists in Dialogue; Learning in the Global Era: International Perspectives on Globalization and Education; and Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium.

Reviews

“Perhaps the most disturbing challenge to our consciences in these days is the massive refugee crisis, which will not go away and whose solution calls for a wisdom, a breadth of vision, and a humanitarian concern that go far beyond short-term political decisions. Conscious of the dimensions of this humanitarian crisis, these essays pay attention to its effects on children, families, and those who are most vulnerable in the face of exploitation.”—His Holiness Pope Francis

“Humanitarianism and Mass Migration is an urgent and masterful work. These essays on the catastrophic migrations of the twenty-first century are broad-ranging, penetrating, and impressively coordinated by Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. The book will set the agenda for the next generation of researchers, policy makers, and concerned citizens—increasingly all of us—who are dedicated to addressing the great existential crisis of our times.”—Doris Sommer, founder of Cultural Agents and Ira Jewell Williams Jr. Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University

“Near the end of Marcelo Suárez-Orozco’s introduction to his edited volume, Humanitarianism and Mass Migration, the reader learns the way to confront the world crisis we face, defined from myriad perspectives in eighteen chapters. In Suárez-Orozco’s words, ‘We need to convert a dread of the unfamiliar “Other” into empathy, solidarity, and a democratizing desire for cultural difference.’ He has assembled scholars from across the social sciences to offer new policies and practices in education and humanitarian assistance to prevent the trauma faced today by unwanted refugees, asylum seekers, and unauthorized immigrants throughout the world. Because nearly one in two hundred children is a refugee whose rights are violated daily, this book could not be more important or more timely. Given the rampant tribalism that defines our time, Suárez-Orozco is wise to remind us that this is a fight against the culture of indifference.”—Kathleen McCartney, President, Smith College

“In this collection, as timely as it is valuable, scholarly and policy considerations are brought to bear on the most heartrending issue of our era.”—Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard University

“In a time when so-called migrant or refugee crises are putting democracies to the test worldwide, Humanitarianism and Mass Migration offers a global perspective on what could be the major challenge of the twenty-first century, demonstrating that these crises are about the fate of the displaced as much as about the future of solidarity.”—Didier Fassin, author of Humanitarian Reason: A Moral History of the Present

“War, disease, and natural disaster have always prompted mass migration. Typically the rest of the world has been sympathetic to these catastrophes. However, the resurgence of nativist sentiments has hardened the hearts and swayed the political will of wealthier receiving countries. Suárez-Orozco has assembled a brilliant collection of articles that speak to the heart of these recurring crises. This is an important read for the twenty-first century.”—Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: The Catastrophic Migrations of the Twenty-First Century Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco

PART ONE. THE NEW CARTOGRAPHY OF MASS MIGRATION 1. Unchecked Climate Change, Mass Migration, and Sustainability: A Probabilistic Case for Urgent Action Fonna Forman and Veerabhadran Ramanathan 2. A Migration Becomes an Emergency: The Flight of Women and Children from the Northern Triangle and Its Antecedents Roberto Suro

PART TWO. FRAMES ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH ON THE MOVE 3. Children on the Move in the Twenty-First Century: Developing a Rights-Based Plan of Action Jacqueline Bhabha 4. A Compassionate Perspective on Immigrant Children and Youth Carola Suárez-Orozco

PART FOUR. THE WORK OF EDUCATION IN THE TRANSITIONS OF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE YOUTH 9. Empowering Global Citizens for a Just and Peaceful World Irina Bokova 10. Inclusion and Membership through Refugee Education? Tensions between Policy and Practice Sarah Dryden-Peterson 11. Civic Education for Noncitizen and Citizen Students: A Conceptual Framework James A. Banks 12. Refugees in Education: What Can Science Education Contribute? Pierre Léna 13. Lost in Transit: Education for Refugee Children in Sweden, Germany, and Turkey Maurice Crul, Frans Lelie, Elif Keskiner, Jens Schneider, and Özge Biner 14. From the Crisis of Connection to the Pursuit of Our Common Humanity: The Role of Schools in Responding to the Needs of Immigrant and Refugee Children Pedro A. Noguera 15. Children of Immigrants in the United States: Barriers and Paths to Integration and Well-Being Mary C. Waters 16. Improving the Education and Social Integration of Immigrant Students Francesca Borgonovi, Mario Piacentini, and Andreas Schleicher